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Evan Silva

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Silva's July Top 150

With just over three weeks left before NFL training camps open, these are my updated Top 150 Rankings for PPR leagues. Fantasy leaguers just now getting into the swing of things should note ESPN adjusted their standard leagues to points-per-reception scoring, acknowledging a shift in PPR’s growing popularity and diminished interest in touchdown-driven formats. Succeeding in PPR leagues requires more skill simply because there is a new dimension of scoring to account for, more points to go around, and lessened emphasis on touchdowns, which are fickle in nature.

The most common argument against PPR goes something like this: “A reception for -2 yards is worth more than a 7-yard carry!” Which, is true. It is also true that negative-yardage receptions accounted for just 2.8% of the NFL’s completions over the past three seasons, and are low-probability outcomes. From a process standpoint, receptions and pass attempts in general are the most valuable plays in football. Whereas the average pass attempt gained around 6.8 yards last season, the average run play netted roughly 4.2 yards. The average pass completion gained nearly 11.0 yards. In both real life and fantasy football, it is more appropriate and realistic than not for participants to be rewarded for receptions due to the increasingly pass-first and pass-friendly nature of the on-field action.

While adjusting scoring rules in fantasy football toward a state of perfection remains a work in progress, I am in favor of the shift toward PPR as the industry’s dominant scoring system.

With just over three weeks left before NFL training camps open, these are my updated Top 150 Rankings for PPR leagues. Fantasy leaguers just now getting into the swing of things should note ESPN adjusted their standard leagues to points-per-reception scoring, acknowledging a shift in PPR’s growing popularity and diminished interest in touchdown-driven formats. Succeeding in PPR leagues requires more skill simply because there is a new dimension of scoring to account for, more points to go around, and lessened emphasis on touchdowns, which are fickle in nature.

The most common argument against PPR goes something like this: “A reception for -2 yards is worth more than a 7-yard carry!” Which, is true. It is also true that negative-yardage receptions accounted for just 2.8% of the NFL’s completions over the past three seasons, and are low-probability outcomes. From a process standpoint, receptions and pass attempts in general are the most valuable plays in football. Whereas the average pass attempt gained around 6.8 yards last season, the average run play netted roughly 4.2 yards. The average pass completion gained nearly 11.0 yards. In both real life and fantasy football, it is more appropriate and realistic than not for participants to be rewarded for receptions due to the increasingly pass-first and pass-friendly nature of the on-field action.

While adjusting scoring rules in fantasy football toward a state of perfection remains a work in progress, I am in favor of the shift toward PPR as the industry’s dominant scoring system.